Final Goodbyes
by craponacrutch
Summary: Upon his deathbed, after a lifetime of waiting, Charlie Swan finally learns the truth about the Cullens.


_Hey this is my first story in a long time so unfortunately there are some errors (I find myself jumping between past and present tense accidentally) and the two programs I used to edit this are different; one's Australian English and the other is American so I think I jump between the two. Aside from that i'm just nervous because it's been around 6 year since I wrote anything so this is likely not very good. I thought i'd slowly introduce myself back into it through short stories like this and I hope to develop my style a bit more, this story is very much all over the place. Hopefully there are no plot errors (it's been a while since I read the books) All of that aside, please enjoy._

 _Disclaimer: The Twilight Saga and its characters and ideas belong to Stephanie Meyer._

 **Last Goodbyes**

His breathing was laboured; his lungs exhausted after a lifetime of breaths and his time was drawing near. Charlie Swan has truly lived an extraordinary life. In his somewhat delirious state he reflects upon his experiences; his early mistakes, his greatest joy and his comforting final years. His eyes swell with tears remembering his gentle and content later decades spent with his darling Sue, who had herself passed a few years earlier and his long and spirited friendship with Billy who, much like Sue, was waiting for him on the other side.

He thinks about his daughter, Bella, and how in his final years her visits were scarce but her phone calls frequent. It was safer that way she had told him, not that he knew what it meant. Since her marriage at the tender age of eighteen, an experience Charlie himself knew all too well. Bella seemed otherworldly and everything she did was shrouded in secrecy and everyone was in on it but Charlie. The way her face remained unchanged by the perils of age, how she was graceful beyond measure of her childhood and finally how her skin appeared as pale and cold as the ice that filled his many memories. He almost laughs thinking about her husband Edward and how Charlie has treated him over the years and how Edward had come to understand when their daughter, or niece as they'd wanted him to believe, had come into their lives. Those days had been some of Charlie's darkest. Fuelled only by anxiety and misery he began to wonder why situations that involved the Cullen family always seemed end so badly.

It wasn't until his best friends son turned into a wolf in front of him that he finally began to understand. They weren't like everyone else, their looks alone could tell him that but nothing could explain the faint apprehension he felt in the pit of him stomach whenever they were around; they were something else entirely. He wasn't so sure what and he knew they would never tell. They would never tell him why his granddaughter grew a foot every time he saw her or why she had, much like the rest of them, had ceased to grow and age since then. Whilst this did nothing to lessen their kindness Charlie had never ceased to wonder what the big secret was.

"Dad," she'd appeared out of nowhere just like an angel, sitting on the edge of his bed and grabbing his hand.

"Bella," He struggled to find his voice, "is that you?" He could hear murmuring and even laughing though his attention was fixed only to his daughter sudden appearance.

"Yeah," she whispered, "It's me." Her smile could still light up a room.

"Grandpa," another warmer hand takes his and he recognises the face of his granddaughter at his other side. Her warm brown eyes are filled with tears, her cheeks damp.

"Ness," he tries to look around the room and see who else is there though he can't find the strength, "who else is there?" He asks. He feels a weight on his shoulder and realises that Edward is resting his hand on his shoulder, smiling at him.

"Me and Alice," Alice appears at Edwards's side.

"Is anyone else coming?" Renesmee asks, looking at her father.

"Carlisle and Esme are on their way," Alice says, putting her hands on Renesmee's shoulders.

"The least we can do is say goodbye," Edward murmurs. As if one queue, Charlie can hear the front door open and close quietly. All but two of the Cullens are now packed into Charlie's tiny bedroom. A cold hand takes his wrist and turns it over, pressing two fingers and feeling his weakening pulse.

"Hello Charlie," Carlisle Cullen had always been the most polite of his family, "how are we feeling tonight?"

"Healthy as a horse Doc," he tried to joke without coughing but it doesn't work. Carlisle chuckles softly and stands up. Charlie's starting to tire now and he understands that this is his last opportunity. Edward laughs slowly at his side,

"I think you're right Charlie," he says softly, "It is about time."

"Edward," Bella chastises. They all know what this means, there is no coming back. They all look at Carlisle, he seems the most fit to do that job though also visibly uncomfortable with the responsibility. He sighs softly and looks at his son and they exchange a silent conversation in nods and glances.

"My family," Carlisle begins, "are not quite like Fork's other residence it seems." He pauses and smiles a little bit, "Our lives, our diets, are different. In fact I'm afraid we're a lot older than we'd led you to believe Charlie." It hadn't occurred to them that they might be uncomfortable throwing around the 'v' word. Charlie laughs softly and remembers the times that different members of the Cullen family had shown knowledge or behavior from before their years.

"How different our we talking?" Charlie says softly. Everyone in the room seems to share the same uncomfortable look on their face.

"Well," Carlisle began, "generally speaking I'm older than you." There's a few seconds of silence followed by a loud breath.

"In fact, we're all older than you," Alice smiles, "except for Bella and Ness of course." Edward laughs softly and smirks widely.

"No it's not plastic surgery. We just don't age like you do." He answers Charlie's unasked questions, "why though is a bit more complicated." Edward looks at the ground, trying to find the right answers. "To put it simply Charlie, we're immortal." The room is silent as the penny drops.

"Well," Charlie says after the quietest minute of his life, "I always knew there was something."

"And now you know." Bella says, squeezing his hand softly. He looks at his daughters frozen face and can think of a million questions he wants to ask but knows he won't have time for all of them. He can think of one though that he has always known the answer to.

"Renesmee is your daughter isn't she?" Bella smiles softly and looks at her daughter.

"How could you tell?" She gently pushes hair from her daughters face. "That's why I had to disappear dad. That's why I am like I am now." Bella's eyes trace the pattern of the blanket in front of her; she doesn't want to think about that time.

"Is there anything else I should know?" Charlie asks softly, looking around the room.

"I can read minds." Edward says after a short silence, "I can read everyone's mind but Bella."

"Also I can see the future," Alice chimes in, "though I'm not always right." Charlie doesn't think that anything else he hears could possibly shock him anymore.

"I think the word you're looking for," Edward sighs, "is vampire." If his circulation was any better Charlie could have swore that the blood would have drained from his face. No one in the room could look at each other at the mention of the 'v' word.

"Or freaks," Esme says quietly, "we've heard that one a few times." The others chuckle softly and the mood lightens a little.

"It's not what you think," Edward says, "Our family drink animal blood." Charlie almost wants to laugh at what he's hearing. Everything's never made more sense and no sense at the same time. He's almost convinced that he is in fact dead and that this was just some bizarre made up scenario.

Alice and Edward share a quick glance and everyone else knows what's coming. Everyone slowly begins making their final goodbyes to Charlie Swan. They each take his hand and thank him all for completely different reasons and tell him how wonderful it was to have known him until finally it's only Bella left. The others have all excused themselves from the room and left Bella and her father alone.

"That's one hell of a family," Charlie says after moments of sitting in silence.

"Yeah," Bella agrees, "I guess you could say that." She softly squeezes his hand and looks her father in the eyes, "I never thanked you dad, for everything. And I know I did things that hurt you," she looks away, "and I want you to know that I love you and I'm so grateful for everything." Charlie smiles weakly and tries his best to squeeze her hand.

"As long as you live happily Bells, for however long that may be, my life has been worth it." For a moment Bella could've sworn she was crying.

She takes his both his hands in hers now and sits in silence. Charlie slowly begins to drift; his body begins to shut down. His body goes weak, his muscle finally seeming to relax after all these years. His hands soften and his breathing slows, he begins to think he last thoughts. He thinks of his beautiful daughter and her beautiful daughter and his wonderful wife waiting for him and his best friend. He thinks of the strange family that entered his life and turned out to be different than he could've ever imagined and how all of this made his life so extraordinary. He thinks about how happy his daughter is going to be forever. And then he stops thinking altogether and he draws his final breath and it exhales softly as Charlie Swan passes on.

Charlie Swan truly lived an extraordinary life, surrounded by extraordinary people and circumstances and he wouldn't have had it any other way.


End file.
